HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Wingham Advance-Times, 1937-05-13, Page 8EIGHT THE WINGHAM ADVANCE-T1MES Thursday, M«ty 13 th, 1937
SYNOPSIS: Slim Loyale is parol
ed from prison after serving eighteen
months for a crime he did not com
mit. He returns to his Circle L ranch
to find his father dead and sinister
forces at work, trying to make him
violate his parole so that he can again
be railroaded to prison.
The Brockwells and their, gang are
plotting tb gain possession of Circle
L ranch and the property of Mona
Hall, a neighbor and life-long friend
of Slim Loyale.
Slim discovers that Sheriff Starbuck
has joined the plot against him. With
the help of Dakota Blue and his cow
boys, Slim Loyale defies the land
grabbers to do their worst.
“Shore, that made him mad. He
cussed pore old Roy plumb outrag
eous, but I was after laughin’ at him.
Then he up an’ shot at me. I saw
it coinin’ an’ ducked my head, at the
same time thro'win’ my own gun. We
shot almost together the second time,
an’ I got him. An’ then—yuh can be
lieve me—I came away from there.”
“Do yuh know who it was?” de
manded Dakota.
“I can’t be positive, seein’ as how
he was masked. But shore he talked
an’ acted a lot like that long-legged
Half Diamond B foreman, Rango
Deale.”
“Yuh shore you rocked him off?”
"Well,” drawled Roy, running his
•fingers through his hair, “if he ain’t
broke -entirely, he’s real bad ben^. He
folded up like a sack.”
Dakota shrugged. “Looks like the
lid’s off,” he grunted. “Stoney Sheard
was right when he said hell was goin’
to pop on this range. Slim, lad, it’s
beginnin’ to look like they won’t pass
up nothin’ in nettin’ yuh. There’s a
hefty purpose behind all this an’ I’m
gonna find out what it is.”
The next morning, not long after
sunrise, Slim and Dakota Blue rode
into Pinnacle. Slim had confided to
Dakota his plan of taking up the
mortgage on Mona Hall’s spread, at
which Dakota had shrugged.
“I know yore bank balance is plen
ty big enough to cover the note,
Slim,” Dakota had observed. “But
whether George Arthur will deal with
yuh is another proposition. Me, I
don’t think he will. I don’t believe
he wants the five thousand dollars.
What he wants is the Dot H Dot
Ranch.”
Slim had avowed that he would
tackle the lawyer just the same, so
Dakota rode into town with him.
The lawyer’s office, a dusty unkempt
little cubby, three doors up from the
Wild Horse Saloon, was still locked
when they arrived. So Slim and Da
kota went into the saloon where Joe
Rooney was swamping out and fat
Spud Dillon was yawning behind the
bar, while poring over a tattered
newspaper.
“Hi, gents,” hailed Spud. .“What
brings yuh to our fair city so early
this fine mornin’?”
“Little business deal,” answered
Slim with a grin. “No, thanks; too
•early in the day for spirituous liquor,
Spud,” he added, as Dillon began set
ting out a bottle and glasses. “What’s
new?”
“Oh, nothin’ in particular,” grunt
ed Spud, “ ’ceptin’ they’re gonna op
en that government land along the
Kicapoo River up north. The paper
here says the final date of openin’
ain’t been quite decided on yet, but
that it’ll probably be the fifteenth
of next month.
“Shore, there's gonna be a wild
scramble over it. There's a lot of
powerful good range up there an’
humans are funny about free land.
Go just as crazy over it as though
it was gold. Here’s a long article
about it by George Arthur. Reckon
if the editor of this newspaper up
at Vasco knew Arthur like we folks
know him, he’d never have printed
it.
“Arthur claims it’ll short boom
this range. Says a lot of cattlemen
down in the Big Bend country are
gonna pull stakes an’ bring their
herds up through here to the new
range. Understand that sheep inter
ests have got ’em just about licked
down in the Big Bend. Sounds good;
but me, I don’t take much stock in
what George Arthur says. He kin lie
faster’n a good hoss can run.”
Slim nodded, rather absently. The
proposed opening of the government
lands along the Kicapoo River had
been a much discussed item for sev
eral years that he knew of. It was
a subject that had grown cold to him.
And besides, just now he was wond
ering what angle of approach to use
on George Arthur about that mort
gage.
Dakota Blue, however, with a sud
den gleam in his eyes .pulled the pap
er to him and began reading it care
fully. Slim rolled a cigarette, lit it,
then went over to the pool table and
began idly punching the balls about.
Presently came the thud of hoofs
and a lone puncher rode down the
street, stopping before Jigger Star
buck’s office. He dismounted and
went, in to reappear about five min
utes later and dross to the saloon.
He was a diminutive, shriveled-up,
crooked-legged fellow, with a pair of
baring bat-wing chaps so enormous-
as to make him appear almost square.
He had a pair of beady, button, black
eye, set in a • wrinkled, mahogany
brown visage. Half hidden by the
flare of his chaps, a pair of big, black
Colt guns dragged at his waist.
As the newcome stepped into the
room, Dakota Blue turned to half
face him, his eyes wary, his right
hand dropping until his thumb was
hooked in his belt. The newcomer
grinned crookedly.
“Go on with yore readin’, Blue,”
he remarked,in a thin, whispery voice.
“All I’m after is a shot of liquor,
providin’ Dillon will sell it to me. 1/
understand he told my boss an’ Leo
that their money wasn’t any good.
How about it, Dillon? Does that ap
ply to the whole Half Diamond B
outfit?”
“Not if they mind their business,
Cinder,” growled Dillon. “What’ll it
be?”
“Bourbon,” announced the puncher,
rocking up to the ‘bar. “Blue, will
yuh an’ Loyale have one with me’”
en, seen at the left,
1
Seven persons were killed and ten
injured when the Ocean Limited',
crack Montreal-Halifax express, col
lided head-on with eight runaway coal
Dakota shook his head. “Thanks.
AVe just turned Spud down on the
same offer.”
Cinder Alton shrugged. “Okay!
Lots of fellers don’t cart- for liquor
before noon. Me, I'm different. Any
time is drink time to me.” And again
he .smiled that crooked, twisted smile.
When Alton finished his drink he
turned, leaning his shoulders against
the bar, hooking a negligent heel ov
er the bar rail. As he rolled and
licked a cigarette, his eyes rested
steadily upon Slim. “Don’t know
where the Half Diamond B could
pick up a new foreman, do yuh, Loy
ale?” he asked. “We lost Rango
Deale last night,”
“Naw I" exploded Spud.Dillon be
fore Slim could answer. “Yuh don’t
mean it? How’d it happen, Cinder?”
“Stopped a slug. It broke Rango’s
neck, clean as a whistle.”
Dakota smiled thinly. “That’s sure
tough. Some felers seem born to
stop lead. Ytill’d thought Deale would
have learned that, long time ago,” ,
“Yeah,” agreed /Alton, “yuh would
at that. How’d yuh get the hole in
yore hat, Loyale?”
A subtle change came into Alt m’s
voice at this question. It grew Bat
and toneless to a degree. His hands
had dropped to his hips with the
words and his eyes were hard as ob
sidian. Suddenly Slim knew he was
looking straight into the eyes of death
—but he did not quail. He spuinted
carefully along his cue, made the shot
and dropped the six ball into a corner
pocket.
“Rango Deale put it there with a
.45, Alton,” he drawled. “It was .'Ot
ten shootin’.”
“Yeah," agreed Alton coldly, “t
was. Mb, T alius could out-shoot
Rango. Don’t move, Blue, or I’ll
spatter yuh against that bar like a
rotten tomato.”
By some uncanny legerdemain Al
ton had slipped one of his guns free
and now held it bearing directly up
on Dakota’s belt buckle. He flicked
out the other and couched it at his
hip, the muzzle looking Slim direct
ly in the eye.
“Rango should have put his slug
just about four inches lower,” he
observed with a chill laugh. “T. hat’s
where I aim to put mine.” He flared
into sudden fury, his thin lips peel
ing back over his teeth in a grimace
of hate.
“Damn yuh!” he whispered. “Yuh
killed Rango—killed my pal. Did
yuh think I’d let yuh away with any
thin’ like that? Not by a jugful. I’ll
give yuh now, in about ten seconds,
what yuh gave to him.”
Spud Dillon’s voice broke in, a lit
tle thick and wheezy, but very deter
mined. “What yo’re gonna do, Cind
er, yuh poison whelp, is drop them
guns, now!” And with the beginning
of his words, Spud shoved the gaping
muzzle of a bulldog revolver against
the back of Alton’s neck. ■
The Jeer on Alton’s face persisted,
a frozen grimace. His eyes flickered.
“Yuh ain’t got long,” reminded
Spud.
Alton dropped his guns, shrugged
and laughed. “I didn’t think yuh had
the nerve to butt in, Dillon,” he ob
served, “knowin’ all the time, o’
course, that yo’re signin’ yore death
warrant.”
“Yore thinkin’ is plumb outa ord
er,” observed Spud sturdily. “I don’t
.scare worth a whoop. From now’ on,
what I told Sarg and Leo Brockwell
goes /or their whole danged outfit.
None of yuh are wanted in this saloon
— Next of yuh to show in here, I
WRECKAGE OF EXPRESS IN COLLISION IN NOVA SCOTIA
Cars at Springhill Junction, N.S, The
coal cars were being shunted in the
railway yard when eight cars, heavily
loaded, moved out on the main track
and ah engine was unable to catch
up with them, A view Of the wreck
ed express is shown, with the mail
car from which two bodies were tak
meet with a sawed-off shotgun. Now
rattle yore hocks.”
Again Alton shrugged, then saun
tered to the door and out. Without
a backward look, he crossed the street,
swung into his saddle and rode off.
Spud Dillon replaced his weapon on
the shelf behind the bar. “Gimme his
guns, Dakota,” drawled Spud,
“I wanta keep ’em as souvenirs —
souvenirs of the time fat, ole Spud
Dillon got the best of one of the
wickedest gun-slingers in this neck
of the woods.”
Dakota nodded gravely and was
about to pick the weapons up, when
Jigger Starbuck stepped into the
place. His cold eyes flickered around
and saw Alton’s guns,
“Yuh fellers seem to be rushin’ the
Half Diamond B boys around pretty
heavy,” he observed. “What’s this I
hear about yuh pluggin’ Rango Deale
last night, Loyale?”
/‘News to me,” answered Slim. “I
ain’t seen Rango Deale since I got
home. An’,” he added pointedly; “I
ain’t shot a gun, either. Yuh notice
I ain’t even packin’ any. Yet Cinder
Alton flipped his guns just now with
lhe intention of killin’ me. He would
have, too, except that Spud discour
aged him.”
“Now lemme tell. yuh somethin’,
Starbuck. I got my eyes open at last.
Certain folks railroaded me to prison ■
for somethin’ I never done. An’ me,;
gettin’ a parole they never figgered
on, arrived back home before they
thought I would. For some reason
they seem damned anxious, to put .me
outa the way.
“Last night they tried it; only it
happened that Roy O’Brien was wear
in’ this hat an’ ridin’ my gray hoss.
Rango Deale tackled Roy, thinkin’ it
was me. When he found out it wasn’t
he was so sore lie took a shot at
•Roy, pluggin’ a hole in my hat. Roy
heat him to the next.”
Slini’s face had grown cold, and
his eyes flinty. There was the set of
unalterable decision about his lips.
“I’m carryin’ my guns all the time
from now on, Starbuck. I’m carryin’
’em to use, savvy? No more do I run
around like a fool, unable to defend
myself an’ lettin’ good men take ov
er my scrap.
The first son-of-a-goat who makes
a pass at his gun in front of me, I’m
rockin’ off. An’ if yuh come after me
for defendin’ my own life, I rock yuh
off. To hell with yuh an’ yore crook
ed law that works only one way! I’m
through playin’ the goat.”
Dakota nodded quietly to' this. “I
been advisin’ Slim to steer clear of
trouble, Starbuck,” he put in. “But
what happened just now shows me
that he’s up agin a pack of yellow
polecats who are willin’ to shoot him
even if he is unarmed. What he just
said goes for me, too. I’m backin’
Slim’s play every turn of the trail.
“There’s five more boys out at the
Circle L who are gonna' back it the
same way. Less’n yuh see that Slim
gets the protection he’s entitled to,
this county is gonna bury a sheriff.
That’s plain talk, but every word of
it is gospel.”
For some time Starbuck was sil
ent, his face unreadable. “I could ar
rest both of yuh for that kind of
talk,” he observed presently.
Dakota laughed sarcastically. “Try
it, an’ yuh go outa here on a board.
Funny yo’re alius takin’ about arrest
in’ Slim or me. Why don’t yuh exert
some of yore precious authority on
that Brockwell gang? Why don’t yuh
trail along after Cinder Alton an’
throw him in the jug for a time? He
Business and Professional Directory
Wellington Mutual Fire
Insurance Co.
Established 1840.
Risks taken on all classes of insur
ance at reasonable rates.
Head Office, Guelph, Ont.
ABNER COSENS, Agefit.
Wingham.
DR. R. L. STEWART
PHYSICIAN
Telephone 29.
Dr. Robt. C. REDMOND
M.R.C.S. (England)
L.R.C.P. (London)
PHYSICIAN AND SURGEON
DR. W. M. CONNELL
PHYSICIAN AND SURGEON
Phone 19.
W. A. CRAWFORD, M.D.
Physician and Surgeon
Located at the office of the late
Dr. J. P. Kennedy.
Phone 150. Wingham
tried to start the argument in here.’
“Yuh cain’t tell me my businses,”
snapped Starbuck.
“Okay,” shrugged Dakota. “An’
yuh cain’t tell Sli man’ me ours. We
kept faith with yuh, so far, but yuh
ain’t returned the compliment. From
here on out, the Circle L rides ‘its
own trail in its own way. ‘No tres
passing’ signs are flangin’ on every
one of us. C’mon, Slim; I just saw
that law-shark go past the door. Rec
kon he’s haided for his office.”
Slim nodded to Spud and Joe Roon
ey, but walked past Jigger Starbuck
as though he did not exist. Dakota
followed Suit to the letter.
* * ’ *
f
“But my dear man,” expostulated
George Arthur, rubbing his thin
hands together, as he paced,back and
forth across the narrow width of his
office. “Don’t you understand that I
cannot transfer the mortgage on Miss
Hall’s property to you without her
consent? It would not be regular—
not at all regular. Besides, I wish
to hold that mortgage myself.”
“Oh yeah?” drawled Slim. “That’s
kinda funny. If yo’re so satisfied to
hold the mortgage, why in hell are
yuh pressin’ Miss Hall for the mcn-
ey? Can it be that what yuh want is
the ranch an’ not the money?”
The lawyer’s pale eyes narrowed.
“My affairs are my own,” he snap
ped. “Definitely and finally, that
mortgage is not for sale. Good day,
Mrs. Simpson and the Duke arc /ex
pected to spend their honeymoon at
the castle, ■ which is situated in the
Carinthian mountains overlooking
Jugoslavia.
According to reports from' France
the Duke of Windsor has leased the
Wasserleonbutg castli iff Austria,
Dr. W. A. McKibbon, B.A,
PHYSICIAN AND SURGEON
Located at the Office of the Late
Dr. H. W. Colbome.
Office Phone 54. Nights 107
J. W. BUSHFIELD
Barrister, Solicitor, Notary, Etc.
Money to Loan.
Office — Meyer Block, Wingham
J. H. CRAWFORD
Barrister, Solicitor, Notary, Etc.
, Successor to R. Vanstone.
Wingham Ontario
R. S. HETHERINGTON
BARRISTER and SOLICITOR
Office — Morton Block.*
Telephone No. 66.
F. A. PARKER
OSTEOPATH
All Diseases Treated.
Office adjoining residence next to
Anglican Church on Centre St.
. Sunday by appointment.
Osteopathy Electricity
Phone 272. Hours, 9 a.m. to 8 p.m.
gentlemen.” He went to the door and
held it open.
Slim laughed coldly, as he stepped
out. “Yo’re deludin’ yoreself, Arthur.
Yo’re shore draggin’ yore rope if yuh
figger to steal the Dot H Dot ranch.
Yuh’ll never do it. An’ the next time
yuh hit Miss Hall up for the money,
she’ll surprise yuh by handin’ it over.
C’mon, Dakota. I’m. sick of talkin’ to
sidewinders an’ polecats. Let’s ride
For fares and further information apj>ly to Railway Ticket Agents* T*238
CANADIAN NATIONAL
DUKE OF WINDSOR LEASES CASTLE
HARRY FRYFOGLE
Licensed Embalmer and
Funeral Director
Furniture and
Funeral Service
Ambulance Service.
Phones: Day 117. Night 109.
- —...... —-
THOMAS FELLS
AUCTIONEER
REAL ESTATE SOLD
A Thorough Knowledge of Farm
Stock.
.. Phone 231, Wingham.
It Will Pay Yop to Have Ari
EXPERT AUCTIONEER '
to conduct your sale.
. See
T. R. BENNETT
At The Royal Service Station.
Phone 174W.
J. ALVIN FOX
Licensed Drugless Practitioner
CHIROPRACTIC - DRUGLESS
THERAPY - RADIONIC
EQUIPMENT
Hours by Appointment.
Phone 191. Wingham
A. R. & F. E. DUVAL
CHIROPRACTORS
CHIROPRACTIC and
ELECTRO THERAPY
North Street — Wingham
Telephone 300.
an’ get some fresh air.”
George Arthur watched them until
they had disappeared, jogging easily
out of town. His thin lips were writh
ing with anathema, his long, pointed
nose quivering, his hands clenching
and unclenching. He saw Jigger
Starbuck slouching across to his of
fice and hailed him.
(Continued Next Week)